Moscow, April 5 (RFE/RL) - The Russian State Duma today
endorsed the recent union agreement signed by Moscow and Minsk.

Our correspondent quotes Duma officials as saying that 320 Russian
lawmakers voted for a resolution supporting the union treaty, eight
members voted against it and five abstained.

The vote does not imply ratification of the treaty. The ageement itself stops short of creating a single state.

Deputies called on CIS presidents to support the treaty as a major
step toward integration.

Today's resolution was prepared by the Communist Party of Gennady
Zyuganov, the Liberal-Democratic Party of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and
the bloc "Our Home Is Russia" of prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.

The moderate-reformist "Yabloko" faction of economist Grigory
Yavlinsky has criticised the agreement, but today came out in support
of it.